Milwaukee Beer Tap Running At A Trickle

MILWAUKEE — For more than a century the beer barons of Milwaukee brewed the golden liquid that won blue ribbons, put a little gusto into life and made Milwaukee famous.

At one time, the city had dozens of breweries run by powerful family dynasties headed by men named Uihlein, Pabst or Miller. They provided jobs for thousands of families and paid the bills for festive civic affairs. Their families all but became the aristocracy of the largely teutonic city.

But the tap is running at a trickle in the city once touted as the beer capitol of the world.

The sprawling Jos. Schlitz Brewing Co. once run by the Uihleins is shuttered. The Miller Brewing Co. is part of the Phillip Morris conglomerate. Blatz exists only as a label. The Pabst Brewing Co. has been sold.

Only Miller and Pabst still operate breweries in Milwaukee, and Pabst could be gone in a year or two. Once one of the top breweries in the nation, Pabst was sold recently to Paul Kalmanovitz, an 80-year-old California investor, for more than $60 million. There is speculation he may close the century-old Milwaukee plant.

As late as 1981, Milwaukee had the greatest brewing capacity in the world. After the Schlitz shutdown, it fell to No. 2 behind Golden, Colo., where Coors is made.

One theory about the demise of the Milwaukee brewing industry is advanced by August Uihlien Pabst, the great grandson of one of the first beer barons, Capt. Fred Pabst. His mother was a Uihlein.

``The kids didn`t have the love for the business the old man did. They probably weren`t as smart either,`` said Pabst, 51, who was with Pabst from 1966 until two years ago. ``So a lot of them wanted out.``

He cites the decision of the Uihlein family to sell Schlitz to The Stroh Brewery Co. of Detroit.

``The irony is that when Schlitz decided to sell, it was doing everything right. Its sales operation was in good shape. Its sales were rising and they had solved the problem with their quality control.

``And then the family members decided they wanted out. It was tragic.``

John Collopy Jr., an analyst for Robert W. Baird & Co., agrees in part, but says ``there are a lot of factors.``

Industry growth has slowed, he said, and those in the key drinking age of 18 to 35 aren`t drinking as much beer.

``And except for Schlitz, the families got out of decision making in the beer industry in Milwaukee a long time ago,`` Collopy said.

``The big fellows ... also have a lot more money to spend on advertising.``